Homeless and Victimized by Failed Special Education

Please meet 14 year old Elijah. I raised my left arm high up in the air and said to him “High five…can I get a high five.” Elijah complied.



Elijah’s pleasant demeanor and contagious smile stands out. 
Elijah is 14 years old but has fallen behind in school. He’s only in the 5th grade and reads on a 1st grade level. 

A homeless shelter I mentioned in a blog post is titled, the “Hotel Lynx.” Elijah and his mom Audry Martinez live there. They have been in NYC shelters for the last 2 and a half years. When talking to Elijah’s mom she told me that in a million years that she never thought she would find herself in this situation.
When we were in their living quarters on the fourth floor, of the “Hotel Lynx,” all of their possessions were in this one cramped room. You had to sign in with security in the lobby with photo I.D, and then security escorted you to an office, where you had to sign in again with photo I.D again

This was all a serious reality check. We were not in some college classroom discussing the Homeless issue. This time I wasn’t discussing the issue of homelessness on TV. This wasn’t a contrast of being homeless. This was a woman and her child fighting for survival. This time it felt like I had been punched me in my stomach.

It was in that office with two workers signing me in, that too…was so stunning. Seasoned reporter. I’m supposed to have seen it all, done it all, right?

In the far left of this small office were a few plastic crates that had typical foods for people that came in and may be hungry. Mothers and their children. One crate was full with oranges, and another had sliced wheat bread, wrapped individually.

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